An inquest, expected to open Thursday, may shed more light on the reasons for her apparent decision to take her own life early Friday, three days after putting through the fateful call from two Australian DJs who impersonated Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles to gain medical details about Prince William's pregnant wife, Catherine.

In the meantime, a picture is starting to emerge of a generous, caring woman who was caught up in a media maelstrom.

"She was very religious. She will pray for the patients. Both of us will pray together for the patients," Mathias said.

Last year, Saldanha visited her alma mater and donated money for the needy receiving treatment at the hospital, the nursing chief said. "Jacintha was a generous person. She would help patients whenever she was here."

A condolence message posted on the website of Mangalore's Father Muller Charitable Institutions described the late mother of two as a "dedicated and caring nurse."

But Mathias also recollected Saldanha's lighter side. "She was a forward-looking girl. And she was very humorous. We cracked jokes. It was fun being together."

"Jacintha was pretty studious. She would often score as much as 75% or even more (in exams). And she was an active participant in several activities of the college," Mathias said.

Nathalia Martis, 46, was in Saldanha's class. She cannot believe that her classmate committed suicide.

"I was shocked to hear that. She was not that type who would do that," she said.

Now a staff nurse herselfat the Father Muller Hospital, Martis remembers Saldanha as a "bold girl."

"She was very good, polite, but a very bold girl. She was always ready to face any kind of a situation," Martis said of her friend.

She praised Saldanha for her "leading capacity." Martis wouldn't elaborate, though, saying she doesn't remember specific incidents from more than 25 years ago.

But she found Saldanha to be a decisive woman. "She was a good decision-maker. ... I mean she will take quick decisions during problems," Martis said.

A family acquaintance, Ivan D'Souza, also considered her a "confident" person.

"She was a student here at Father Muller. She was a confident girl. And that's what her teachers also tell us about her. She would not normally make mistakes," he said on the phone from Mangalore. "We are not able to digest the news about her death."

Others back in Britain also praised her as a professional and caring person.

Lord Glenarthur, chairman of the private King Edward VII's Hospital where she worked, described her as "a first-class nurse who cared diligently for hundreds of patients."

And the hospital's chief executive, John Lofthouse, spoke of her as "a much loved and valued colleague" who would be greatly missed by her co-workers.

For now, D'Souza said, much of Saldanha's family is in her birthplace, waiting for her body to arrive. "We should get it as soon as possible," he said.

The decision on when to fly her remains back to India is one for her relatives to make, London's Metropolitan Police said.

So far, her family's most public expressions of grief have been made via Facebook.

Barboza, Saldanha's husband, wrote over the weekend: "I am devastated with the tragic loss of my beloved wife Jacintha in tragic circumstances. She will be laid to rest in Shirva, India."